The Forty Days
Ancestral fourth trimester care

Every culture knew the mother needs mothering.

The Forty Days brings back the village: rest, warmth, nourishment, and care for new mothers and their families, inspired by postpartum traditions from around the world.

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RestWarmthNourishmentTouchVillageCeremony
A steaming bowl of Korean seaweed soup and a cup of ginger tea on a wooden tray, beside a newborn's tiny hand resting on a terracotta knit blanket
The same knowing, everywhere

You were never meant to do this alone

In Korea, new mothers rest for 21 days and eat seaweed soup every day. In Mexico, grandmothers run the house for 40 days. In Nigeria, a grandmother moves in to cook and help with the nights. In India, mother and baby get a warm oil massage every morning.

Different places, the same knowing: when a baby is born, a mother is born too.

Today, many families go home with a new baby and a “see you in six weeks.” You deserve more than that. So does your family.

The framework

The six ancestral pillars

Across very different cultures, care for the weeks after birth rests on the same six things.

1

Rest

Your only jobs are to heal, feed, and bond.

2

Warmth

Warm food, warm drinks, a warm home.

3

Nourishment

Soups and meals made by someone else.

4

Touch

Caring hands for a body that did something enormous.

5

Village

Helpers with clear roles, so you never have to ask twice.

6

Ceremony

A moment that honors who you've become.

Start where you are

Three ways to begin

Free

Plan Your Forty Days

A 12-page guide to plan your postpartum before baby arrives: your village map, visitor scripts, freezer meals, and a miyeok-guk recipe.

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Ebook · $27

The Forty Days Companion

Daily rhythms, 40 journal prompts, printable village role cards, and a closing ceremony for day 40.

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On Zoom

Be held, from anywhere

Private sessions and the 8-week Village Circle on Zoom. Start with a free 20-minute call.

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In-home care in Los Angeles is coming soon. Get the free guide to be the first to know.

With gratitude

Wisdom from around the world

These are living traditions, held by real families today. We name them with respect, and we invite you to ask the elders in your own family what they remember.

Hands of different generations and skin tones sharing postpartum foods from many traditions: Korean seaweed soup, caldo de pollo beside a rebozo shawl, warm oil and laddoos, a rolled belly-binding cloth, pepper soup, ginger and red dates, and a young tree seedling in a clay pot
Sanhujori · Korea21 days of rest and warmth, with miyeok-guk (seaweed soup) every day.
Zuo yuezi · China“Sitting the month” with warming foods like ginger and sesame-oil chicken.
La cuarentena · Mexico & Latin America40 days while the family runs the home. Caldo, atole, and a faja.
Closing the bones · Mexico & EcuadorA rebozo shawl wraps the mother to mark the end of the 40 days.
Jaapa · IndiaDaily warm-oil massage for mother and baby, and ghee-rich, spiced foods.
Pantang · Malaysia & Indonesia44 days of care with a bengkung belly binder and warm compresses.
Omugwo · NigeriaThe grandmother moves in, cooks pepper soup, and helps with the nights.
Placenta & cord honoring · many Indigenous peoplesReturning the placenta or cord to the land. Each people holds its own teachings.

Take what feels right. Leave the rest.

Families choose the practices that fit their heritage and faith. Nothing is required. Start with the free guide and plan your forty days together.

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